N,Cu-CD-Decorated Mesoporous WO3 for Enhanced Photocatalysis Under UV–Vis–NIR Light Irradiation

Abstract

Research on the design of semiconductor photocatalysts with rapid electron transfer efficiencies and broad-spectrum responses for environmental remediation remains a pressing challenge. Herein, we described the fabrication of a novel broad-spectrum nitrogen and copper codoped carbon dots/mesoporous WO3 nanocomposite (N,Cu-CDs/m-WO3), which exhibited complete UV–vis–NIR spectrum response, light harvesting capabilities, rich oxygen vacancies, rapid electron-transfer ability, low electron–hole (e−/h+) pair recombination rate, and extensive specific surface area. After 2 h of photocatalytic reaction, it showed excellent photoactivities for the degradation of rhodamine B, methylene blue, tetracycline hydrochloride, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and bisphenol A. Moreover, we found that the conversion between Cu (II) and Cu (I) played a key role in accelerating electron transfer and inhibiting the recombination of e−/h+ pairs. This work provides an efficient strategy for the utilization of solar light and enhancing the charge-transfer capacity in the semiconductor photocatalysis field.

Ultrathin and Conformal TiOx Overlayers on WO3 Photoelectrodes for Simultaneous Surface Trap Passivation and Heterojunction Formation

“… The measured stronger intensities at 532.0 eV on WO 3 -Ti-110 and WO 3 -Ti-P electrodes than that on the bare one suggests that the treatments of low temperature and O 2 plasma are unable to liberate the introduced water molecules from Ti-DAL solution. Regarding the W 4f spectrum shown in Figure S9d, the peaks around 35.5 and 37.6 eV correspond to W 6+ in WO 3 . The binding energy of W 4f in WO 3 -Ti-P shifts to a lower value compared to WO 3 -Ti, indicating a modification in the chemical environment of W. Nevertheless, no changes are observed in the value of the binding energy of W 4f in WO 3 -Ti-110.…”

“…Regarding the W 4f spectrum shown in Figure S9d, the peaks around 35.5 and 37.6 eV correspond to W 6+ in WO 3 . 37 The binding energy of W 4f in WO 3 -Ti-P shifts to a lower value compared to WO 3…”

A UV-visible-NIR active smart photocatalytic system based on NaYbF4:Tm3+ upconverting particles and Ag3PO4/H2O2 for photocatalytic processes under light on/light off conditions

“…Many attempts have been made to prepare new or modified and recyclable broad spectrum photocatalytic system that can make use of a wider range of solar radiation (from UV to NIR), especially NIR range which constitute 50% of incident solar irradiation [37][38][39][40] . One promising strategy to extend the absorption/application range of UV-visible active photocatalysts to couple them with lanthanide-based upconverting particles (UCPs) such as NaYbF 4 :Tm 3+ and NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ 41-45 .…”

“…33 Many attempts have been made to prepare new or modified and recyclable broad spectrum photocatalytic systems that can make use of a wider range of solar radiation (from UV to NIR), especially the NIR range which constitutes B50% of incident solar radiation. [37][38][39][40] One promising strategy to extend the absorption/application range of UV-visible active photocatalysts is to couple them with lanthanide-based upconverting particles (UCPs) such as NaYbF 4 :Tm 3+ and NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ . [41][42][43][44][45] The UCPs can successively absorb two or more relatively low energy photons (NIR photons) via intermediate long-lived energy states and then emit higher energy photons (in the UV-Vis region) upon relaxation through a non-linear optical process known as upconversion.…”